The Sokoto State Government denied media speculation that it planned to depose Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto.
In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesman for the state government described the purveyors of the rumors as those intended to “smear the cordial relationship existing between the state government and the Sultanate Council.”
Yesterday, JolibaLive News! reported on the alarm raised by the Islamic group known as Muslims Rights Concern (MURIC), which alleged a plot by Gov. Ahmed Aliyu to remove the Sultan.
In its statement, the Sokoto State Government said all such speculations were baseless and that the governor “cherishes and respects the Sultanate Council long before MURIC was established.”
“The Sultanate Council, which has a long-standing historical importance, is so revered by all the people of Sokoto State, we still hold the institution in very high regard and esteem.”
To set the record straight, the government said it “wishes to inform the world that the relationship between the Ahmed Aliyu-led administration and the Sultanate Council, under the leadership of our esteemed monarch, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has been exceptionally cordial.”
The governor “regularly seeks the counsel of His Eminence, the Sultan, on matters affecting the state, and his invaluable contributions and inputs are always respected and incorporated into policy implementation.”
Sacked District Heads
The government clarified that the dismissal of some District Heads in the state was based on reports of “land racketeering, aiding insecurity, and insubordination to the constituted authority”. It was a decision made in the best interest of the public and had no political motivations.
“To give them a fair hearing, the committee summoned all the affected District Heads, after which it came up with a whitepaper report advising the government on what to do. And it was based on that and also in the public interest that the state government acted in conformity with the recommendations made by the whitepaper committee,” the statement added.
However, the federal government strongly backed the revered traditional ruler before the state government’s official denial. On Monday, Vice President Kashim Shettima told a gathering of northern elements in Katsina that the “Sultan is an institution that must be jealously guarded, protected, and promoted for the good of the nation.”
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